The trends at this year's US Open so far
The GIST: No Serena? No problem. The aforementioned GOAT may not be headlining this year’s US Open, but the final tennis major of 2023 is already seeing some GOAT–level numbers. Let’s dive in.
The numbers: The tournament is expected to financially outperform 2022’s event, blowing past the USTA's own internal predictions. Last year, the tennis association broke its revenue record by raking in $529M, up 9% from 2019, and enjoyed an operating revenue increase of 16.2%. A financial ace.
- This year, the tournament’s Fan Week broke attendance records by attracting a crowd of almost 158K, and USTA's partnership with IBM Watson is offering a metric-fueled fan experience, including AI commentary and unique data generation.
The trend: Tennis fans liked and subscribed to this year's tourney early on, with a 95% renewal of USTA full-series subscriptions in January. And even with Serena Williams' 2022 retirement sparking a US Open ticket-buying craze last year, the USTA was still up 8% in ticket purchases and revenue YoY as of mid-August.
Looking ahead: The tournament’s popularity and growth showcases the potential for a new and diverse generation of American players and fans, an exciting prospect on the heels of Serena’s swan song and as the Big Four era ends. It’s giving space for the next crop of athletes to take over the game, empowered by AI tech and an, ahem, "energized" fanbase.
- And as the US Open celebrates 50 years of equal pay, the upcoming generation of stars thinks it’s about time for the rest of tennis to catch up. Show them the money.
